Description

Beginning with a quiet treble ostinato figure inspired by the lyrics “in heaven the bells are ringing,” the ringing grows in intensity until it bursts forth with the first statement of the traditional English carol, “Ding, Dong, Merrily on High.” A second appearance of the “heavenly bells” is accompanied by chords using the echo technique. The carol is then combined with the 16th century Swedish tune “Tempus Adest Floridum” (“Gentle Mary Laid Her Child;” “Good King Wenceslas”). The heavenly bells ring one last time to conclude this joyful setting.